The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted US Patent 8,268,971, entitled "Antibody Therapy for Modulating Function of Intestinal Receptors and Methods of Treating Diabetes and Obesity," to  Avaxia Biologics, Inc., a privately-held biotechnology company developing oral antibody drugs that act locally within the digestive tract.

The patent covers milk derived antibody compositions that specifically target and modulate an apical intestinal receptor and which are formulated for direct delivery to the gastrointestinal tract of a patient.  The patent also covers treatment of diabetes or obesity by using these antibodies to modulate a sugar receptor.  The types of intestinal receptors disclosed in the patent are very broad, and include sugar transporters, ion channels, sensors, and bile acid transporters.

"This patent highlights the broad applicability of our AVX Oral Antibody technology platform," stated Barbara Fox, PhD, CEO of Avaxia.  "Our oral antibodies can address membrane bound targets as well as soluble targets such as TNF for inflammatory bowel disease and radiation induced damage to the mouth and intestines.  Membrane bound targets such as sugar transporters have been implicated in diabetes and obesity, which are very attractive markets for our oral antibodies."

Avaxia is developing orally administered antibody therapeutics that act locally within the digestive tract.  Antibodies are widely used as therapeutics, with nearly $50 billion in annual sales worldwide.